The Ringing Bell of Chirin
by WhispertheWolf
Summary: A novelization of the movie, combining the English and direct translation of the Japanese dialogue.
1. Prologue

Author's Notes: I have not been able to find a copy of the book _Chirin no Suzu_ by Takashi Yanase in either Japanese or English. However, I love this cartoon, which quickly turns from cute to dark. I decided to write my written version of the story with no plot changes whatsoever, other than the fact that I am combining the Japanese version with the English version _Ringing Bell_. And seeing as "_no suzu_" means "ringing bell," I am aware the "Chirin_ no suzu_" means "ringing bell of Chirin," hence the title I use. For my written edition, I mostly used the Japanese version, which has different (and in my opinion, better) dialogue. Also, there was dialogue added into the English version that I felt was unnecessary. (Seriously, American producers seem to believe that if someone isn't talking every thirty seconds, the kids lose interest.) Sometimes I combine the English dialogue with the Japanese dialogue, and I used the narration from both.

So, without further daily, here is the darkest children's story you may ever hear.

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><p><em><strong>The Ringing Bell of Chirin<strong>_

_A Sanrio Production_

_Directed by Masami Hata_

_Based on the novel by Takashi Yanase_

_Adapted by WhispertheWolf_

Prologue

_In the high peaks of the rocky mountains, the snow was falling in a wild blizzard. The rocky peaks were snow-swept and barren. The world was blanketed; the few waterholes were frozen over. The river that ran through the canyon beside the great mountain stood still. Down at the treeline, the pine trees were so covered with snow that they appeared white instead of green. The white pines receded lower down to bare hardwood trees standing strong against the wind and snow._

_Down in the meadow, below the mountain and its forests, lay a pasture, fenced off from the rest of the mountains and the plains beyond. A snow-covered shed was nestled in the corner of the pasture. A great, barren hardwood tree stood close by, as if watching over the shed and all its on goings._

_And throughout the valley and up to the mountaintop, if one listened closely, from within the wall of white could barely be heard the silvery ringing of a distant bell._


	2. Chapter 1: The Innocence of Youth

Author's Notes: The "poem" at the beginning of this chapter is actually the lyrics to the opening song in the English version. At the beginning of each chapter, I plan to have at least one stanza of a song from either the English or the Japanese version, and I will choose which sections of the song best fit whatever chapter I am writing. For this one, the opening theme of the English version seemed best.

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><p><span>Chapter 1: The Innocence of Youth<span>

_Chirin, come. Come and play  
>And chase all the clouds away.<br>Little one on the run,  
>How far will you roam?<em>

_Chirin, come. Come and play.  
>Let your dreams carry you away.<br>Hear the bell you love so well  
>That brings you back home.<em>

_Run and play in the snow.  
>For now that's all the life you know.<br>Seasons pass. You will see  
>That life's not all that free.<em>

_Chirin, where are you now?  
>I hear that too-familiar sound.<br>Chirin, ring. Ring your bell.  
>Let me know all is well.<em>

When we are young, we don't know a lot of things, but the small amount of knowledge we do possess makes us happy: knowing our home, our friends, how to get places, and maybe how to get back. The world is a strange, new place, a great puzzle. Sights and sounds and smells are its pieces. We see things we know nothing about, things that surprise us and sometimes sadden us. But, as we explore and grow, the time comes when we learn. We learn about the world, and we grow older.

In the lovely meadow nestled between the mountains, new life was brimming all over. One of the young ones was Chirin. Chirin was a small, cute lamb born in early spring, when there were still a few patches of snow on the ground. His back was covered with curly, white fleece. He had more energy than all the other lambs in the pasture put together. He wore a golden bell around his neck, and although Chirin liked the sound, it was there to help his mother find him if he got lost or fell when he didn't watch where he was going. With this ringing bell, Chirin's mother could find him even if he were to fall into a deep gorge.

One bright, warm spring day, Chirin was walking along the meadow, wandering away from the other sheep. Everything was still new and strange to him, young as he was, and he was looking around in awe. He turned about and walked backward to gaze at all the flowers, sneezing at their sweet fragrance, before turning back around and marching on.

An orange butterfly flew overhead, and Chirin watched it with wonder, sneezing again. He turned and kept going only to stop as he realized the butterfly had landed on his head! He shook his head to get rid of it, making his golden bell ring with that beautiful sound he loved so well.

He immediately spun around to face the butterfly, making the bell jingle again. The butterfly flew right up to him and landed on his nose. Crossing his eyes to stare at, Chirin could feel his nose tickling and felt another sneeze coming. He let it out and shook his head, making the butterfly leave him again. But the butterfly was persistent and landed on his nose yet again. Chirin wished he would stop; that tickled! He reared up on his hind legs and kicked the air with his front hooves, trying to swat the butterfly off. The butterfly left, but Chirin lost his balance and fell over on his belly.

When Chirin saw the butterfly was flying away, he trotted after it, his bell jingling as he went. Even if the butterfly tickled him, it was a fun little creature and so strange! Chirin wanted to know more about it.

The butterfly sped up, and Chirin broke into a run, keeping close. But suddenly the butterfly changed direction and started heading back the other way. Chirin rear up on his hind legs, reaching for it, but he missed. He tried to turn and follow but gasped when he felt himself falling over backward. He landed on his back in a bed of flowers. But to his great delight, a whole bunch of orange butterflies sprang up from the flowers, flying in all directions around him! He laughed happily and leapt to his feet, but most of the butterflies had already flown away.

Not the least bit upset about losing the butterflies, Chirin was excited thanks to the wonders he'd seen. He giggled some more and started leaping around in pure joy. Then he followed two of the butterflies, who were heading back toward the other sheep. _Here, I come!_ he thought.

All of the other sheep, including the other lambs, were grazing quietly. One of the lambs turned and watched as Chirin approached, seeming startled when Chirin came somersaulting down the hill toward them. Chirin was all smirks. He followed a butterfly underneath one of the ewes, crawling under and the pulling himself free. _Coming through! _he thought. The ewe lifted her head in surprise, watching as the lamb with the ringing bell went skipping away.

Chirin changed course and then leapt on top of on of the grazing lambs, crushing it into the ground. He then leapt onto one of the adults, scrambling when he almost lost his footing, and adult raised her head and blinked in surprise.

He could see one of the butterflies just a short distance away. It was flying away. Chirin thought, if the butterfly could fly, couldn't he? He leapt off the sheep after the butterfly. With a cry of delight, he flapped his legs and ears on either side of him like wings. _Hey, I'm flying! _he thought excitedly.

But he didn't fly; he let out a cry as he crashed to the ground.

Three other lambs watched him fall, and one of them leapt back when he landed. But Chirin wasn't hurt; dazed, perhaps, but not hurt. He was simply happy with this latest adventure and decided to lie there until he got his breath back.

When he didn't move, the other lambs watched in interest, and one who leapt back stepped forward again, lowering its nose curiously.

But just then, the ground moved underneath Chirin. Chirin's eyes widened in surprise. "Ooh?" he said. He felt himself lifted up, dirt being thrown up under him, and then felt this lump of ground move out from under him and start down a path. "Hmm?" Chirin said, turning around and watching it. The ground was _moving!_ Chirin smiled and leaped after the moving ground, following its path, giggling when he caught up with it and started sidestepping along so he could watch it. He tripped doing this but was too interested in the dirt and too delighted as this strange discovery to give pause; he was up and following again right after. This was _way_ cooler than butterflies!

The other lambs watched but didn't follow.

Chirin finally was curious enough to try to stop the moving dirt. If he got in front of it, could he stop it? He'd have to see. He ran ahead of it and plopped himself in its path, falling down on top of the overturned earth.

The dirt stopped moving forward, but the mound of earth continued to grow higher. Chirin plopped back on his haunches, studying the phenomenon in amazement. The only way the dirt could do that, he decided, was if someone was _underneath_ the dirt! He'd have to dig them out! Without giving it further thought, he started digging with all his might.

A fourth lamb had come to watch Chirin's strange game, getting up on top of one of the other three. And that fourth one was now getting dirt thrown in its face. It fell back, and the one underneath him lifted his head, then getting dirt in his face. They all blinked in surprise, staring at Chirin. They couldn't imagine what game he was playing.

Chirin at last dug so far down that he was able to get himself in the hole! But then something struck him the face! Chirin jerked back in surprise and surfaced again, sighing at the new pain in his nose. Next to him, a black mole popped out of the hole, looking very angry. It chattered in frustration, shaking a claw at him. It was so angry that it flipped in the air and kept chattering. When at last it was finished telling Chirin what it thought of him, it grabbed a handful of dirt and slammed it on top of its head so hard that Chirin cringed at the sound. Having buried itself again, the mole kept digging.

Chirin put a hoof behind his head shyly at this little misadventure. _Oh, well!_ he thought.

Time for a new adventure! Chirin leapt out of the hole and went running in little bounds up a hill away from the other sheep, his bell jingling. When he topped the hill, he ran in a circle among the blue flowers, simply running for the fun of it. Then he continued on his way. Delighted, for no other reason than the fact that he was here and alive, he closed his eyes, prancing along in a fantasy.

Because he had his eyes closed, he did not look where he was going, and soon tripped off a sharp drop and fell about two feet down to the other sloping side of the hill. He tumbled down the hill in a ball of white fur, his bell ringing crazily, before he finally struck the fencepost, stopping his tumble. He gasped and plopped to the ground, head aching.

As he was getting up, he looked up at the fence to acknowledge it but then turned back to it quickly. He had never wandered this far out in the pasture before; he had never seen this fence. It was another strange and new thing, and Chirin didn't quite know what to make of it.

But then he felt himself being watched, and he turned and let out a happy gasp. "Mama!" he cried.

His mother was standing a few feet away; Chirin's bell had told her he would be here, and she had felt the need to come. "Hello, Chirin," she said, her eyes filled with love.

Chirin leapt to his feet giggling and ran to his mother, jumping up in front of her and laughing. It was always so wonderful to have her near! "Did you see my somersault?" he asked.

"Very good!" his mother praised him.

Hoping she would play with him, Chirin ran up and rammed his head into her shoulder. His mother laughed at his playfulness but remained quiet and calm.

Seeing that she wasn't going to play, Chirin decided to be content with just nuzzling her. He smiled ear to ear as he rubbed his head against her soft fleece, his bell ringing and helping his heart to swell with love.

"Chirin," Chirin's mother said to him, nuzzling the top of his head, "listen to me. Heed my words and remember them." She turned back to the fence. "I don't want you playing outside the fence."

Chirin stopped nuzzling and looked at her in surprise. "Past the fence?" he repeated, looking at the fence. The thought had never crossed his mind before.

"Yes," his mother answered.

"Why not?" Chirin asked.

"Chirin, it is _very_ scary out there!" his mother answered. "The world can be a dangerous place! If we stay behind the fence, we'll be safe. Look, do you see that mountain?" She pointed her nose up at a rocky, nearly-barren mountain beyond the fence. Other mountains, just as immense, stood around and behind it.

"Uh-huh," Chirin answered.

"An old wolf lives in those rocky mountains," his mother said. "He attacks defenseless sheep to feast on our tender meat. His favorite food is baby lamb."

To Chirin, this made no sense. "Oh, yuck!" he exclaimed, turning to drop his head to the grass and clover at his feet. "He is silly!"

"Why?" his mother asked him, turning to look at him.

"It is hard to eat us," Chirin explain, munching on some clover. "You'd get a mouth full of fleece! What would he want to eat lamb for? Clover leaves are _much_ taster!"

Chirin's mother shook her head at his naiveté. "But wolves eat sheep," she said.

"I see," Chirin said, although really he didn't. He kept munching on some clover, putting the wolf out of his mind. "But clover tastes much better, and if he ever comes around, I'll tell him that!"

"You'll do no such thing," his mother said, shaking her head. "I don't want you ever to go near him."

"Well, he doesn't scare me!" Chirin said, trying to sound brave. After all, this wolf must be joke! No one could really want to eat lamb!

Just then, a gray rabbit popped up out of the ground, his mouth full of clover. "Boo!" he said.

"Ooh!" Chirin gasped, blinking in surprise, and he ran to hide under his mother. The stranger had startled him.

Seeing him, the rabbit leapt toward him, looking interested. "I love clover," he said. "Yup, yup!" He knelt to the ground again and started munching more clover.

"Are you listening?" Chirin's mother asked, drawing his attention back to her. "Do you promise me, Chirin?"

"Huh?" Chirin asked.

"Do you promise me never to go outside that fence?" his mother asked.

Chirin, however, was watching the rabbit again. "I love it, I love it, I love it!" the rabbit was muttering. With a mouth full of clover, the rabbit lifted his head and regarded Chirin again with a friendly expression. Chirin smiled in delight at seeing that the creature was friendly.

Just then, the rabbit ran off and stopped a short distance away, looking over his shoulder as if to see if Chirin was following. "Come on, let's play!" he exclaimed.

"Please, Chirin!" Chirin's mother said to him, reminding him that she had asked him a question.

"Yup!" Chirin answered happily. And with that, he bounded after the rabbit, who had taken off again. "Hey, wait up!" he called after the rabbit.

"Chirin!" his mother called after him.

But Chirin had already disappeared in the grasses with the rabbit. The two popped up again from the grass, looking right at each other. "Come on, let's play!" the rabbit repeated. Then they disappeared and appeared again ever further away, doing the same thing. "Hurry!" the rabbit yelled.

Again they disappeared into the grass and popped out again. "Wait!" Chirin said.

"Over here!" the rabbit yelled as he hopped, jumping up into the air. He then disappeared, and Chirin disappeared after him, and they appeared again, further away. "Hurry!" the rabbit yelled.

The fifth time, the rabbit hopped out of the grass first, bounding away, and Chirin was bounding after him. "Wow, this is fun!" the rabbit yelled. Chirin laughed as he ran after him.

Chirin's mother chuckled to herself and shook her head in exasperation, gazing after her son lovingly. Chirin was just so full of energy! Sometimes she wondered if he was ever really listening.


	3. Chapter 2: Innocence Lost

Author's Notes: Hey, reviews! Great! I wasn't expecting much of a reception for this, being the first story in the category and all.

The italized beginning this time is from a transition part of the song (the second one). The first two stanzas are from the English version, and the last two stanzas are translated from the Japanese version.

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><p><span>Chapter 2: Innocence Lost<span>

_There will be time enough to grow  
>In autumn you'll feel rain. In winter you'll see snow.<em>

_Sleep, little Chirin, and have your peaceful dreams,  
>And as you grow older, you'll see nature's golden beams.<br>Clouds roll by. Daylight breaks  
>On a peaceful day.<em>

_Just as it was before, just as it was yesterday  
>And today from the early morning.<em>

_Tender and gentle, summer's warm wind  
>Knows that work has to be done on time.<br>Fall will come, days will pass by,  
>But now it just sways flowers on the meadow.<em>

Dandelion seeds were blown into the wind all across the meadow as the sun began to set on the mountains, turning the sky to peach. The sheep began their daily parade back to the shed in the corner of the pasture. All of them would remain in there for the night.

But among the sheep, Chirin was not to be found.

Chirin's mother wandered among the crowd, heading the opposite direction, stopping every now and then to see if she could spot him. "Chirin!" she called. "Chirin! Chirin!"

She stopped, looking around her as she reached the end of the line of sheep. Chirin was still not to be found. "Chirin!"

There was no sound of Chirin's bell.

"Where are you, Chirin?" Chirin's mother wandered aloud. "Chirin!" She was beginning to fear for him. He was so young to be lost. What if something had happened to him? "Chirin," she whispered worriedly.

Feeling nervous, Chirin's mother left the other sheep and wandered up the nearest hill. "Chirin!" she shouted. "Where are you, Chirin?"

From within a nearby bush, a chipmunk, a brown raccoon, and a gray hedgehog emerge, watching her curiously. Hoping they could help, the ewe went up to them. "Have you by chance seen my son Chirin?" she asked. "Do you know where he is?"

The raccoon stepped forward and shook its head. "Nope," he said. "Sorry."

Worry growing by the minute, Chirin's mother kept wandering the meadow, asking everyone she came upon if they had seen her little lamb. "Have you seen Chirin?" she asked three possums hanging from a tree. "He was wearing a bell around his neck."

All three possums shook their heads and replied, "Haven't seen him."

When the sun's light was nearly sunk below the horizon and the stars were bright and shining, the ewe had still not found Chirin. As she stepped underneath a tree and spotted an owl roosting in the tree, she asked the bird of night, "Did Chirin play here? I am sure he was playing here today."

The owl shook his head. "No," he hooted.

Chirin's mother was beginning to despair. She at last came near the spot of the fence where she had earlier that day warned Chirin about the wolf. "Where are you, Chirin?" she yelled. She gazed up at the mountain. Chirin had been so unconcerned about the wolf; he did not go beyond the fence to see the menace for himself, did he? Her eyes began to water at the thought, and she hung her head, trying to keep from weeping.

But then her eyes flew open, and she pricked her floppy ears forward, saying, "Hmm?" She swore she heard the ringing of a distant bell.

A short distance off, Chirin was just waking up from the nap he had under a fallen log. He groaned, yawned, and looked around, surprised at how late it was.

The bell kept ringing as he made his way away from the log, and Chirin's mother looked back and forth until she located the sound and saw Chirin wandering toward her. He was turning his head every which way in confusion, still feeling very sleepy. "How'd it get dark so soon?" he asked aloud. He tripped and fell but was up in a moment, shaking himself and making his bell ring loudly.

Recovered, Chirin lifted a hoof to take a step forward but then stopped mid-step when he saw someone standing only a few yards in front of him. "Mama!" he gasped. It was most definitely his mother, and she did not look happy.

Chirin said the only thing he could think to say: "You found me."

Chirin's mother stared down at him, looking both exasperated and stern. "There you are!" she said. "It is very late, Chirin! What have you been doing all this time, staying out past dark?"

Chirin lowered his head in shame, knowing he had no excuse other than that he fell asleep. Head hanging low, he walked up to his mother and stopped in front of her.

His mother was starting to sniffle. "You had me worried to half to death!" she said. "You are a bad boy, Chirin! Sometimes you really disappoint me. And after I just warned you about the wolf!"

Chirin looked up at his mother stern face and couldn't help but feel guilty, so much so that he thought he might cry. "I'm sorry," he said.

Chirin's mother stared at him, but her face was no longer stern; her eyes were beginning to fill with tears. At last, she broke down into sobs and fell down in front of him, nudging her little one close to her. "It's alright, Chirin," she whispered as she nuzzled him. "My dear child. You're still my favorite little boy!"

As they walked back to the shed that night side by side, Chirin explained what happened. "I'm sorry, Mama," he said again. "I was playing so hard with the little rabbit. And then we ate some clover, and before I knew it, I was asleep."

"I know, Chirin," his mother assured him. "I know."

"I won't ever do it again, Mama," Chirin promised.

"Oh, my Chirin," his mother said lovingly. It was her wonderful way of assuring him that he was forgiven.

They were so tired by the time they got to the shed that they decided to sleep out under the tree instead.

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><p>The sun's first rays shown upon a spider web the next morning, glistening and reflecting the beautiful scene under the tree. Chirin's mother was curled up on the ground, and Chirin slept on his back in the crook of her body, snoring softly.<p>

On a leaf nearby, a ladybug watched over them until a bead of dew slid off the leaf, pushing the ladybug off with it.

They were still asleep when the other sheep were up and about spread out in clusters all over the pasture, while clouds, just as white and fluffy as the sheep below, drifted overhead.

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><p>The months passed, as did the brightness of summer to the darker tones of autumn. The green grass became brittle and yellow, and all the leaves fell from the tree in the pasture in an array of colors. The days got shorter, and the nights got longer and darker.<p>

The hay was gathered and stacked up in mounds against the shed. The lambs had never seen hay before, and they naturally got into it, eating away, often burying themselves in it and talking to each other back and forth.

"Mm, boy this is good!"

"Yeah, but I think I'm full."

"Yup, me, too."

One of them would always get up on top of the highest mound and say, "Look at me, I'm king of the mountain!"

But even with this wonderful new thing to play with, autumn was not to be a joyful season . . . for this would be the season when Chirin's childhood would end swiftly and without mercy.

It happened when fall was coming to an end. The sheep were all nestled inside their shed, escaping the chilly autumn winds. All the other lambs were curled up with their respective mothers. Chirin lay with his back to his mother, somehow fast asleep upside down and snoring loudly. His mother blinked awake sleepily at the sound and turned to look at her dear little boy. Smiling to herself, she put her head down to sleep again.

But then the sheep all heard the loud baying of the shepherd dogs outside. Nearly every sheep except Chirin lifted their heads in fright.

The barking grew into growling, then growls and whimpers. All the sheep got to their feet as the last dog let out a pained whimper, and all was quiet.

Then the door to the shed burst open, letting in a violent, cold wind. The sheep gasped and peered out to see _him_ standing in the doorway: the wolf. He was black as night, lean and rangy. His blue eyes glowed with a hideous light. A scar ran across his left eye, making him appear all the more sinister.

The sheep let out exclamations of terror. On of them reared back on her hind legs and then fell over backward in fright. Without another look, they all turned and fled to the very back of the shed, only to find themselves trapped. Seeing them flee, the wolf leapt inside and ran among the fleeing sheep.

Chirin, who had been fast asleep up until now, was startled to wake up and find his mother gone and everyone fleeing. What was going on?

That's when he saw the wolf. With a vicious snarl, the wolf leapt upon a fleeing sheep and broke its neck with his strong jaws. Chirin watched in astonishment as the sheep fell in front of him, lying lifeless on the ground.

The wolf stepped up on top of the sheep, his eyes staring straight at the little, defenseless lamb in front of him. Chirin looked up at him in awe, frozen in terror. The wolf licked his lips.

Chirin's mother stared at the scene in horror. "Chirin!" she yelled. She lunged herself toward him. "Chirin, no!"

Just as the wolf leapt toward Chirin with his mouth agape, Chirin's mother reached him and threw herself on top of him.

After that, Chirin heard the sound of something ripping. Feeling safe under his mother, he remained motionless, waiting until the terror was gone and everything was quiet.

When the night was still once more and the clouds had moved away from the moon, Chirin tried to crawl out from under his mother. He struggled to pull himself out by crawling backward, his head stuck under her body. At last he pulled himself free and tumbled head over heels and making his bell ring, landing in the moonlight shining through the door and facing his mother. "What?" he gasped, looking around. "Where is the wolf?" He saw no wolf but perceived all the other sheep peering out of their hiding places in the back, staring at him and his mother. He looked around some more and could not find the sheep that the wolf had bitten; perhaps it had gotten up and hid with the others. Chirin had no way of understanding that the unlucky sheep had been killed and dragged away to be the wolf's dinner.

Chirin looked down at his mother, who appeared to be resting peacefully. The little lamb yawned tiredly and thought he should do the same. He snuggled against his mother, groaning in pleasure. "He has already gone away, hasn't he?" he asked his mother, closing his eyes contentedly. "It is good he has not eaten us, isn't it? I knew he wouldn't like lamb. I'm glad the wolf's gone because I want to go back to sleep." He waited for a reply, but none came. "Don't you, Mama?" he asked, snuggling against her.

But his mother didn't answer.

"Huh?" Chirin gasped, opening his eyes. He crawled over to his mother, perching his forelegs over her foreleg and looking at her face, which was turned his way. "Mama?" he asked.

Something wasn't right. His mother wasn't lying as she normally did, and the way her head was resting wasn't right. She didn't look peaceful; she looked absent. "What's wrong, Mama? Huh?" Chirin asked. "Wake up, Mama."

A great fear ceased Chirin, one he could not understand. Desperately he shook his mother's foreleg. "Mama, wake up!" he demanded. "Why won't you get up?"

Still no answer.

Chirin was so confused. Something was definitely wrong. He got up and walked toward her face, sniffing her curiously. "Did the wolf hurt you, Mama?" he asked, his voice rising to a scared pitch.

The other sheep stood in silence, staring at the scene with pitiful expressions.

Chirin put his hoof on her foreleg again. "What happened?" he asked. "Did the wolf hurt you?"

No answer.

"I learned my lesson," he assured her, hoping to get some sort of response. "I'll stay away from the wolf."

Still no response.

That fear within Chirin was growing with every moment. "Mama, what's wrong?" he cried, shaking her foreleg, his voice breaking with tears. "Wake up! Wake up, Mama!"

Chirin had never understood death. All he knew was it meant that someone wasn't with them anymore; he thought of it as someone going away, only never coming back. But slowly the realization was dawning on him. Sobs rose in him and burst forth. "No!" he cried. "Mama! Don't die, Mama! You can't be dead! You just can't be!"

At those words, something in Chirin broke. He flung himself upon his mother. "Mama!" he cried, sobbing. "Mama! Don't die, please! Don't die, Mama!" He kicked his feet and then crawled up on top of her, beating her, demanding she stop this. "Get up!" he cried. "Don't leave me, Mama!"

In all his wiggling, he fell off her, only to crawl back on top of her. "No! Wake up! Come back!" he cried.

While Chirin ran around the body, crying every tear within him and shouting, "Don't die! Wake up!" the other sheep did nothing but drop their heads in sorrow, some of them crying tears of their own. They did not comfort him; they did not know how.

Again, Chirin flung himself upon his mother. "Mama," he forced out, "don't die!" He slowly slid off her until he was nestled against her body. "It's not fair!" he cried.

And he remained there, sobbing until he had no tears left.

Chirin could not understand why the wolf killed his mother or what his mother had done to deserve dying at the hands of the wolf. What did any of the sheep do, for that matter? Why do wolves eat sheep but no one eats wolves? After all, the sheep didn't do anything wrong! But the wolf still came, and the sheep still died, helpless at the fangs of their enemy.

When at last Chirin could cry no more, he looked out the shed into the pasture bathed in moonlight. Whatever that had broken inside him remained broken, but something else was hardening, something he could not understand. He walked toward the door of the shed and peered out, past the great tree, past the fence, and on toward the mountains. Nature had been unfair to Chirin and to his mother. It was an unfairness that he could not stomach and would not stand for. Justice would be done.

Without thinking about what he was doing, Chirin began walking toward the broken part of the fence, quieting his sniffles. Once there, he stopped and looked back at the shed. The other sheep were clustered at the door, watching him, all having the same questioning looks on their face: _Where is he going? What is he doing?_

Chirin owed them nothing, for that is what they had done: nothing! They had just stood there! They had not fought back! They had not spoken or protested. They had hid like the weaklings they were!

But not Chirin. With a huff, he turned back to the fence, fixing his eyes upon the mountain where his mother had told him the wolf lived. "Wolf!" he growled in rage as he took off through the hole, his bell ringing as he ran.

And all the sheep watched and did nothing, fearing they would never see Chirin again.


	4. Chapter 3: Become the Beast

Author's Notes: This chapter starts with a song from the Japanese version, translated as, "Off My Path". For one of the lines stating, "Off my path!" I put in the more English version of the phrase, "Keep out of our way!" It's all the same meaning in Japanese.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 3: Become the Beast<span>

_Off my path!  
>Off my path!<br>Off my path!  
>Off my path!<br>We will live freely  
>In the shadow of these dells.<em>

_Off my path!  
>Off my path!<br>Off my path!  
>We will live without chains<br>On the sweep of these vast yellow plains._

_Off my path!  
>Off my path!<br>Off my path!  
>Off my path!<br>Running faster than the prairie wind,  
>We'll vanish in the darkness of the night.<em>

_Off my path!  
>Off my path!<br>Off my path!_

All night Chirin ascended the rocky mountain, struggling up boulder after the boulder. He was worn, tired, and hungry, but his great anger and resentment gave him the strength to carry on. He sought only one thing: the wolf.

He leapt up still more rocks, his bell ringing as he went. He stopped when he reached a ledge. He had been climbing for some time, but he could still not find the one he sought. "Hey, you! Wolf!" he cried into the night, yelling out over the mountains. "Where are you?" He ran a short distance and then shouted again. "Hey, Wolf! Come out!"

Chirin jumped back and forth on this ledge for some time, quite perplexed. He was so near the top and thought for sure he would have met the wolf by now.

But then he looked up and could see to slanted, glowing, blue eyes staring down at him from the rock above, the top of which bore the outline of the sleeping wolf.

Chirin momentarily forgot everything but his fear. He jumped in fright and fell, tumbling head over heels toward the edge of the ledge. He stopped just short of it, and the pain of his fall brought him back to his senses. Once he recovered, he glared over his shoulder at the wolf.

The wolf was staring right at him but hadn't moved.

Chirin was filled with so much fear that he trembled. But all he had to do was think of his mother lying lifeless on the shed floor, and his fear left him, leaving him filled only with rage. "Wolf!" he cried, jumping to his feet and spinning around to face him. "Bring my mother back, or I'm going to kill you!"

He leapt at the wolf, trying to scramble up the rock to get to him. "Wolf," he cried, "you've killed my mother; she's dead now! I'm going to kill you!" He failed to clear the rock and slid back down again, only to jump up on it once more. "I mean it!" he cried. But again he failed and fell onto his head.

The wolf did nothing; he did not even stir.

Chirin didn't know what made him angrier: the fact that the wolf had killed his mother and deserved to die but couldn't be touched, or the fact that the wolf completely ignored him. With another wave of rage, he looked up and spotted the wolf's tail hanging off the rock. "She died to protect me!" he cried, leaping up and grabbing the wolf's tail. "I hate you!"

The wolf finally moved but only his tail. He swung it back and forth, flinging little Chirin around like a toy on a string. At last, with a flick of his tail, he bashed Chirin's head against an overhanging rock. The sudden pain made Chirin let go, and he fell several yards below. A rock broke his fall, and he bounced off it only to bounce off another and a last land on a boulder above a chasm.

But though beaten and bruised, Chirin felt no pain; he only felt his anger for the wolf growing stronger. With a new flood of strength, he picked himself up and began to climb back up toward the wolf, leaping from rock to rock in single bounds in a furious charge, only to have to climb carefully up them once he landed on them.

At last, he reached the ledge where he had stood before and perceived the wolf. He tried to pull himself up, but his adrenaline was beginning to fail him. But his anger had not. "Wolf!" he cried. "You killed my mother! You killed her! Bring . . . my . . . mother . . . back!" he cried at the wolf, gasping and shaking in an effort to pull himself up.

But at last his strength failed him, and Chirin slipped from the ledge and fell into the dark chasm below, landing on his back among the stones. He then knew only blackness.

The wolf sat up and watched Chirin fall until he could no longer hear the ringing of the bell.

* * *

><p>The next morning, while the sun was still rising, the wolf was drinking from a puddle of cool, clear mountain water when Chirin came upon him. Chirin sat down on his haunches a short distance from the wolf. He had realized last night that he was not big enough, strong enough, nor tough enough to kill the wolf. So this morning, he had made his decision on what to do next.<p>

He took a deep breath, gathering his courage, before he spoke. "Wolf," he said, "all right, I've decided to be your apprentice to learn to be strong just as if I were a real wolf like you! Make me your apprentice!"

The wolf stopped drinking and looked up. There was no emotion in his features; his face was a mask.

Perhaps he was puzzled. Chirin tried again, talking much faster than need be. "I want to become strong like you!" he explained. "I don't want to be a weak and timid lamb! I'm sick of being a sheep!" He shook his head. "All we ever do is stand in corners and shake! I'd rather be a strong wolf! I want to learn to be a scary wolf just like you are. You like the idea of me becoming your apprentice, don't you? Wolf," he pleaded, "may I become your apprentice?"

But then he gasped, his ears fluttering in fright and eyes wide. The wolf was approaching him. Did he not like the proposal? Was he coming to eat him? Chirin wasn't going to wait to find out. With a cry of fear, he spun around and scampered away, his bell ringing as he ran. Running along the rocky mountain chasm not more than three yards, he spotted a pillar of rock. He quickly scrambled up to the top, where he might possibly observe the wolf in safety.

The wolf came walking through after him but did not even give him a second glance. He walked on by the rock where Chirin was perched as if he wasn't there, as if Chirin were some bothersome fly he was trying to ignore.

Seeing that all seemed safe, Chirin slid down from his rock and landed on his rear on the stony path. He watched the wolf pad up the spot where he had been sleeping the night before. The great predator leapt up onto the rock, yawned, stretched, and then lay down to take a nap.

Seeing this, Chirin gathered more courage and went running up to the base of the ledge where the wolf was perched. He tripped as he ran, making his bell clank, but he was up again in an instant. "Wolf!" he yelled at the wolf. "Tell me how to become a wolf! I'd be a really great apprentice, so why don't you just let me try?" He started pacing. "I'll do anything you demand!" he told him boldly. "I'll endure any suffering!"

Still the wolf remained still with his eyes closed, as if asleep.

Chirin kept pacing. "I'm not going to leave you alone, so why don't you just wake up and listen!" He stopped pacing and glared right at the wolf. "Please!" he cried. "Stop sleeping! Stand up, Wolf!" He started jumping up and down. "Wake up, wake up, WAKE UP!"

"Quiet, pipsqueak!" the wolf scolded, interrupting Chirin's last yell.

Chirin, surprised that at last the wolf had spoken, leaned back in fear.

The wolf's eyes were open just barely, glaring at him sleepily. "What's a runt like you bothering me for? Have you forgotten that you're just a lamb?"

Just a lamb, huh? "I want to become a wolf!" Chirin yelled. "I want you to teach me how to be a scary wolf!"

"Do me a favor," the wolf told him sleepily. "Behave yourself as befitting a ram. Go back to your meadow; graze and grow. And in a couple of months, when you get big and fat, I'll come and eat you for dinner." And with that, he closed his eyes.

"But I don't want to!" Chirin complained in a loud whine. "I want to be like you!" He started approaching the rock where the wolf lay, jumping up and down desperately. "Make no mistake, I _will_ become a wolf! Look, how does this sound? If things don't work out, feel free to go ahead and kill me and eat me! No hard feelings."

He leapt up onto a rock in front of the wolf so he would be forced to look at him. But much to Chirin's contempt, the wolf still kept his eyes closed. In fact, he even growled at the end of Chirin's speech as if in irritation.

Chirin huffed. "Ooh," he groaned, "you think I'm just a stupid kid and just fooling around, but I'm serious!"

"Pest," the wolf rumbled without opening his eyes.

Chirin put his chin in the air. "All right!" he said. He turned to leave. "Go ahead and be that way! I won't beg you anymore! You'll see! I'm going to show you how much I want to be a wolf! I'll become a wolf by myself!"

* * *

><p>A short while later, Chirin left the mountains and was out on the open plains. Every now and then, he stuck his head out of the tall grass and looked around, trying to decide what prey to pick first. At last he exclaimed, "Ah-hah!" About a hundred yards away was a small herd of bison.<p>

Chirin furrowed his brow and started forward. Time to start being a wolf!

The bison were grazing contentedly, one of them even yawning, when Chirin snuck up in the grass and appeared between two of the bison. Now was the time. He let loose his most terrifying roar to scare the bison. Nothing happened.

Chirin tried again. This time, one of the bison next to him turned its head to look at him questionably. Feeling the breath on his shoulder, Chirin turned to face the bison, who was busy chewing some cud. The one on the other side of him also turned to look at him in bewilderment. "Watch it!" Chirin warned the bison. "I'm a wolf! I'm going to eat you!" And with that, he roared again.

By now, the whole group of bison were circling around him and watching him as if they didn't know what to make of him.

Irritated that things weren't going as planned, Chirin said, "Really, I'm a wolf! You better start running in terror!"

The bison next to him looked at each other over his head and then burst out into laughter, which the rest of the herd quickly joined.

They were _laughing _at him? Perhaps Chirin hadn't made his message clear enough. "I'll show you," he said. "Brace yourselves for it! I'm going to eat you up," he warned, "so you better start running!"

Finally seeming irritated with him, one of the bison beside him put its head down and huffed in his face. The force of its breath was so strong that Chirin was sent flying backward, bouncing off the ground and then getting struck by the other bison's hoof, kicking him nearly a football field behind him.

Chirin landed on his rear in the grass and then flopped onto his belly. That was not a good start. "It seems the enemies were too big," he said to himself. "Maybe I should start with something smaller."

A skunk who had looked up to see the lamb's misfortune started laughing at him. Already feeling miserable, Chirin certainly didn't appreciate it. But then he realized the skunk was smaller than himself. Leaping to his feet, he said, "You'll do fine, wise guy! I'll whop you!"

But the skunk just glared at him tiredly and then did a hand stand so her rear was pointed toward Chirin. Then she sprayed him.

Disgusted at the sudden overwhelming stench and the stinging in his eyes, nose, and mouth, Chirin staggered over backward, hardly daring to move. That was absolutely _horrible!_

Little did he realize he had landed in the middle of a prairie dog town. He was in the middle of a triangle made by three holes. A prairie dog popped its head out of each hole, one with a little one in tow. At seeing the silly little lamb twitching in pain and smelling like skunk, they all started pointing fingers at him and laughing.

"Huh?" Chirin gasped when he realized he was being laughed at. He opened his eyes and saw the prairie dogs. So he was being laughed at _again!_ Starting to feel really angry, Chirin leapt to his feet and yelled, "Beat it!" All but the pup scrambled back down into their holes. Finally the mother reached up and grabbed her baby, pulling it down with her.

_Finally_ someone was acting scared of him! Feeling empowered, Chirin pawed at one of the holes. "That's right!" he said.

But just then, he felt someone pulling at his tail. The mother prairie dog from the hole behind him had hold of his tail and was pulling him backward. Shocked, Chirin turned around to face her, but she disappeared into the hole before he even saw her.

Meanwhile, while he turned his back on the other hole, the prairie dog in that one peered out and started scratching at Chirin's rear. Yelling in pain and shock, Chirin leapt straight up into the air. He then spun around to take down the prairie dog and dove for him, but the prairie dog leapt out of the hole and out of the way. Chirin landed headfirst in the prairie dog's hole.

The prairie dog waved a signal to the other adults in the other two holes. At that, the prairie dogs got out of their holes, pushing a whole load of dirt in front of them. Even the baby joined in, carrying a little bit of dirt over his head. At the hole where Chirin was stuck, the prairie dogs shoved their dirt in, and the next thing Chirin knew, he was being encased in a ball of dirt, padded to perfection by the prairie dogs.

Happy with their work, the lead prairie dog leapt up onto the ball while the other two adults pushed it. The prairie dog on top got up on two legs and started walking on it like a circus animal on a ball. The baby followed along behind.

All the while, Chirin was trying somehow to break free and get some air.

When the prairie dog and the ball of dirt reached the edge of a steep hill, the prairie dog tried to stop, but he couldn't. He fell over backward, flipped in the air, and landed on his stomach. Meanwhile, the ball of dirt, with Chirin inside, went tumbling down the hill.

Chirin knew he was bouncing down some slope, but he didn't know anything else until the ball of dirt hit a rock on the way down and burst apart. Chirin yelled as he went flying over the rock and landed in a briar patch.

At the top of the hill, the prairie dogs burst out in laughter. They were laughing so hard that their stomachs hurt!

Chirin felt every thorn as it dug into his fleece coat. He groaned as he crawled out of the briar patch, feeling sore, bruised, and hurt all over.

So much for being a wolf.

Not knowing what else to do, he headed back toward the mountains.

* * *

><p>That evening, at sunset, Chirin came plodding up the mountain, dragging his feet. It was taking every bit of energy left in him to make the last of the climb.<p>

At last he reached the watering hole where the wolf had drunk this morning. Dragging himself toward it with the last of his strength, he placed his front hooves in the water and began to lap it up, soothing his parched, aching throat. But weak as he was, he lost his footing and plunged headfirst into the puddle. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, though; it was actually rather refreshing. He quickly thrust his head out of the water to breathe and found the waterhole was shallow enough that he could sit on his haunches and keep his head clear of the water.

Huffing in air to his tired body, he didn't think he had the energy left to look around him. But he looked up when he saw the wolf coming straight for the waterhole, his glowing blue eyes looking right through him. "I tried," Chirin said.

But it seemed the wolf already knew that Chirin had tried . . . and had failed. Nearly at the waterhole, he changed course and walked by without a second glance. He was headed down the trail toward the gorge that would lead him off the mountain.

Chirin got to his feet. "Hey, wait!" Chirin cried. "Where are going, Wolf?"

The wolf didn't answer, didn't look back, didn't slow his pace.

Realizing he was leaving, Chirin struggled to get out of the water and run after him. "Wait, Wolf!" he cried, getting to dry rock. "Wait for me! Take me with you! Hold on, Wolf!" He bounded after the wolf, fueled by determination alone, bell ringing as he ran. "Don't go! Come back! Wait!"

But the wolf didn't stop.

"Wolf!" Chirin cried as the wolf disappeared from sight.

Before he disappeared into the gorge, Chirin managed to catch up with the wolf and follow him into the sunset.


	5. Chapter 4: Fangs of the Heart

Author's Notes: This reprise from the intro song is from the English version.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 4: Fangs of the Heart<span>

_Chirin, come. Follow me.  
>The whole world I will let you see.<br>Seasons come, come and go:  
>Summer, spring, winter, fall<em>.

Chirin followed the wolf on and on, the sun setting lower on the horizon. At last he froze when he heard a roar.

In front of them, a bear was rearing up on his hind legs and growling at the wolf. Chirin was filled with fear, but the wolf didn't hesitate; he charged forward and slid to a stop in front of the bear, growling viciously. But the bear didn't back down.

Chirin watched in amazement as the wolf leapt upon the bear's shoulders. The bear tried to swipe him off with one paw, then the other, but each time the wolf avoided his claws by leaping into the air. Then, coming down from the second leap, he slid down the bear's neck and over his head back onto the ground, leaving a scar along the bear's neck from his claws.

Angrier than ever, the bear roared down at the wolf and seemed prepared to charge him. But the wolf came first, leaping up into the air and striking the bear on the chin with his paws, doing a flip in the air to land on his feet in front of the bear. The bear fell over backward with a heavy thud.

When the bear sat up, groaning, his eyes widened in fear at seeing the wolf still in front of him, untouched and ready to fight. Gasping fearfully, the bear got up and fled.

With that, the wolf continued on his journey. Chirin, fearful and awed, followed behind him as the wolf headed down out of the mountains and onto the wide open plains.

Upon the plains, they came upon a herd of white-tailed deer, mostly of does with one lone buck, and the wolf began to stalk them. They noticed him and took flight. But the wolf pursued, and it seemed to Chirin that he ran as fast as they did, or even faster, if that was possible.

The wolf finally caught up to the last deer, but it was not a helpless doe; it was the mighty buck of the herd. With a snarl, the wolf leapt upon his back, and he and the deer fell to the ground. The buck had been pulled onto his back in the fall, and he flailed on the ground, struggling to get up and flee. But much to Chirin's horror, the wolf soon leapt up and snagged the buck's neck, pulling him to the ground and killing him quickly.

Chirin was frozen in terror, trembling from head to hoof. That . . . that was horrible! The poor buck . . .

The wolf stood over his kill and turned to Chirin. "Well, pipsqueak?" he said. "Now that you've seen what it's like to be a wolf, you know such a life isn't for you. Go back to your meadow where you belong and deal in the affairs of sheep!"

Go back to the meadow? That phrase alone was strong enough to pull Chirin out of his terror. "No!" he exclaimed, shaking his head and making his bell ring furiously. "I'm never going back to that stupid meadow in a million years! I'm going to keep following you until you agree to teach me how to be like a wolf! Wherever you go, I _will_ follow you!"

The wolf seemed exasperated with him. After feeding, he huffed and turned away, heading back toward his mountain. "Wait!" Chirin yelled after him, following along as fast as he could. "Wait! Wait for me!"

As they went deeper into the mountains, the wolf started heading up a slope of loose boulders larger than his own head. His steps made not a sound on the stone as he picked is way up. Chirin, meanwhile, was using all his energy to jump from rock to rock like a mountain goat. But he happened to land on one rotten stone that broke under his hooves. He gasped as he fell over backward and tumbled back down the slope.

The wolf topped another ridge, coming over a sharp incline. Thinking he may have lost the annoying lamb, he looked back over his shoulder to spot him, only to see Chirin leaping over the ledge some distance behind him, breathing heavily in his effort to keep up. The wolf grunted and kept going.

Chirin finally padded up to where the wolf had just stood and stumbled, falling onto his stomach and hitting his chin on the rocky footing. But he wouldn't give up. He scrambled back up and cried, "Wait!" running after the wolf. "Wait!"

The wolf ignored him and started crossing the swift-flowing river that ran beside his mountain, leaping from rock to rock with startling agility.

Chirin reached the edge of the river and gasped at its ferocity. But he only hesitated a moment. If the wolf was going to cross the river, so was he!

Gathering his strength, Chirin leapt for the first rock. He didn't quite make it and nearly slipped into the raging waters, but he managed to clamber up. He gathered his bearings while he stood quivering with effort upon the rock and looked up at the wolf, who had already cleared the river and was heading up the slope onto another ledge looking over the river. He wasn't going to slow his pace or wait for one moment, even though Chirin was in danger of falling into the river and drowning! _I really hate you,_ Chirin thought.

But much as he despised the wolf, he was going to get his service, no matter what it took! He gathered himself up again, preparing for the jump to the next stone. He leapt toward it, crying, "Wolf!"

But then he screamed as he realized he wasn't going to make it.

The next moment, he found himself submerged in water, thrown about with such violent force that he didn't know which way was up and which was down. Fighting with all his might, he surfaced at last. "Help!" he cried as the surging waters started pulling him down river into the whirlpools of the rapids. "Help!"

But despite all he could do, he couldn't keep the rapids from sucking him under again. And no help came.

The wolf stood on the ledge overlooking the river, observing the whole scene, unfeeling and uncaring. He watched as the lamb was sucked under and did not resurface. "As I thought," he said, "you are just a stupid lamb." He grunted and turned away. "So much for dinner."

Soon he was at his usual resting place and lying down to sleep for the night.

* * *

><p>It was some time that evening when the wolf was woken from his sound sleep by a strange sound. He flicked his ear and opened his eyes just barely, for he swore he could hear that ever-constant, annoying bell.<p>

Sure enough, the wolf raised his head to see Chirin padding up toward his rock with the last of his strength, breathing heavily and looking like a drowned rat. The wolf could hardly believe his eyes.

Chirin stopped and looked up. At seeing the wolf, whom he had sought ever since he dragged himself clear of the river, he smiled. "I'll follow wherever you go," he told the wolf. "You'll see. I'm never going to give up. I won't yield to a wolf!" His strength gave out on him, and he fell in a heap in front of the wolf's ledge, closing his eyes. But he kept talking, and the wolf, curious more than anything, sat up and peered down at him to hear him. "Because I don't care how long it takes me," Chirin explained, his voice sounding tired and raspy. "I'm going to become a wolf."

The wolf knew he would never get any sleep with the half-dead lamb lying in front of him. He got up and walked away.

* * *

><p>And Chirin did not give up. The next morning he was up and after the wolf as before. He followed the wolf, though it meant day after day of constant travel.<p>

On their way, Chirin spotted the signs of late fall and the coming of winter: the blackberries overly ripe and dropping, the last leaves of the trees falling.

Sometimes he saw things that reminded him of his home. Once, while passing through a gorge, he noticed a gray mother rabbit asleep with two little ones nestled against her. She even looked up and gazed at him when she saw him staring. Another time he saw a squirrel in a tree, one sleeping cub lying at her paws and another curled up in her tail. Both did not fail to remind him of the way he used to snuggle against his mother, back when his world was safe, warm, fun, and full of sunshine.

But he went on, through the forest, through the meadows, over mountains, and across the yellow plains. Wherever the wolf ranged, he was there.

One day, while he was passing through a gorge after the wolf, feeling tired and hungry as usual, he noticed a frantic chirping sound. He looked up. A blue mother bird was hovering in front of her nest, which was built in a nook in the rock wall of the canyon. A dark blue snake, hanging down from a dead root sticking out of the rock, was looking right at her, obviously interested in her nest.

Chirin gasped. The mother bird was defending her children against an enemy she could not possibly overcome.

Right before his eyes, the fanged snake struck, grabbing the bird in his mouth and shaking. In an instant, she was dead, and the snake dropped her on the ground.

Chirin stared down at the dead body in shock and then looked up at the snake and growled. That _monster!_

Looking satisfied, the snake then peered at the eggs, which the mother bird had died trying to defend.

Seeing that, something in Chirin burst forth, a rage that he could not comprehend or control. "No!" he cried, charging forward. "Back off! Stop!" He leapt up onto the ledge and stood between the nest and the snake, pawing at the snake with his hoof. "Stop!" he cried angrily. "No!"

The snake kept trying to go around him or even get a bite at him, its mouth open and fangs gleaming, but it kept having to avoid Chirin's flailing hoof.

Chirin could hardly stand a creature who would hurt such defenseless animals! And the snake wasn't backing down! With another wave of fury, he sprang at the snake, all hooves flailing, and grabbed the snake's body in his mouth. The two dropped to the ground, where Chirin pinned the snake and shook his head savagely, the snake's body still clutched in his teeth. He didn't do any real damage, but it hurt enough that as soon as Chirin let go to pant and catch his breath, the snake slithered away, sounding wounded.

Chirin stared after the snake in rage, his breath heavy, but he couldn't help feeling accomplished; he had made the snake back off.

But then he glanced over at the mother bird and saw the nest lying beside her, leaning up against the rock face. It had been knocked off the ledge by Chirin's flailing hooves. All three eggs had spilled out and broken on the ground.

"Oh!" Chirin gasped, his breath shaky. He approached them in horror and disbelief, and when he saw the full extent of the damage, he started to tremble, feeling sobs rising in his throat. "I broke them!" he cried. "All of them! I smashed her eggs!"

He couldn't hold in the tears anymore. He had been trying to save them and instead had ended up killing them! He sat down on his haunches, tears falling from his eyes. "Oh, why?" he sobbed. "Why? Why did it happen? Why?"

Little did he know that the wolf, who was but five yards ahead, had stopped and looked back at the scene when he heard the fight between Chirin and the snake. His eyes bore upon the little lamb as he cried for the eggs he tried to save. "Why do the weak have to die?" Chirin cried. "It isn't fair!" He sank down on the ground in front of the eggs, sobbing over them.

For the first time in days, the wolf spoke to him. "In order for some to live," he said, "others must die. That is the Law of Nature. Do you understand it, Chirin?"

Chirin shook his head in answer. "It's not fair," he repeated.

"From the moment of birth," the wolf continued, "life is one endless struggle, and only the strong can survive. In this world, only battles decide if you live or die."

Chirin, still sniffling, answered in despair. "But then what can I do? I don't have fangs like a wolf or sharp talons, so how can I even fight? I can't defend myself. I can't do anything to protect myself! Not a thing!"

"Then why do you want to become a wolf?" the wolf asked.

"Because I'm full of resentment," Chirin answered, sniffling some more. He pushed himself up on his front hooves, still gasping on his sobs. "I couldn't stand it! They all just sat there in the pasture, too scared to go past the fence, too scared to do anything! I don't want to spend my whole life in a cramped shed or on a meadow, always afraid to leave them. I don't want to be killed just for nothing! I want to be strong! But . . . but . . ." In renewed despair, more sobs came, and Chirin did not try to stop them.

"Good," the wolf said. "Cry. Cry as much as you wish. Cry and let the anger out. It is the only way. Someday that resentment will become your fangs."

At that, Chirin froze and stopped his crying. "What's that?" he asked. "Grow fangs? My fangs?" For him, the news sounded like hope.

"Yes, Chirin," the wolf answered, calling him by his name for the first time. "Life deals out few things besides pain. Over the course of your life, you will be burdened by grief and despair." His eyes narrowed. "But from that pain you'll grow sharp, strong fangs, though they may not be the kind you can see. By overcoming your grief, you will sharpen the fangs of your heart."

Chirin got to his feet, his sorrow and despair not forgotten but overcome with determination. "Fangs of my heart?" he repeated. "Then I'll become strong? Just like you, wolf?"

The wolf gazed at him in silent answer.

"Then I can do it!" Chirin exclaimed. "Wow!" He furrowed his brow, a new strength flooding through him. "If I grow fangs, nothing can keep me from becoming as strong as you are!"

"Then you may follow me," the wolf answered. "I will teach you and show you how to live the life of a wolf."

Chirin nodded and ran up to the wolf, more excited and filled with hope than he had been since his mother died.

"But it won't be easy, pipsqueak," the wolf warned. "Do you understand, Chirin? The world I live in is a hell where death follows you in your footsteps. You'll need stamina, determination, and the will to survive. Are you ready for such a life?"

Chirin didn't care the condition. "I don't care how much it takes," he answered. "It doesn't matter anymore whether I have to live in Hell. My life means nothing to me now. This is what I want to do. I know I can! You'll see! I'll become stronger than a wolf! Wolf, someday I will become even stronger than you and defeat you! Then I will have my revenge on you! Someday, I kill you!"

The wolf nodded but said nothing.

"I will," Chirin insisted. "Someday, I will kill you!"

His words echoed throughout the mountains.


	6. Chapter 5: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Author's Notes: The song "I Am Chirin" comes from the English version.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 5: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing<span>

_Are you ready? Here I come now!  
>Look out, world! I'm the one<br>Standing tall like a tree.  
>There's a new spirit born inside of me.<em>

_I'll be fearless. I'll be strong.  
>I know life is hard and long.<br>Don't give up, or you'll lose.  
>It's the strong line that I choose.<em>

_We will travel, wolf and ram,  
>And we'll ravage all the land.<br>Getting strong now. Won't be long now  
>Till I'm the strongest one of all!<em>

_I am Chirin!  
>I am Chirin!<br>I am Chirin!_

And so it came to pass Chirin became pupil and the wolf his teacher.

Chirin's first lessons were against a dead tree as opposed to anything alive. The wolf had Chirin charge the thick tree and head butt it, which only sent Chirin tumbling backward with a terrible headache. But he did not give up. He kept charging and charging, always bouncing off harmlessly.

But in time his strength and determination grew, and eventually, with a single mighty charge, he tore right through the tree with a yell.

As soon as he landed, he spun around, huffing, and faced the wolf, who stood a distance off, watching.

Now was Chirin's chance. If he could take down a mighty tree, then surely he could take down the wolf! He charged the wolf with all his might, leapt into the air, and head butted his shoulder. But all he could do was bounce off harmlessly, just as he had been doing with the tree before.

The wolf narrowed his eyes at Chirin and took a step forward, staring down at his still form, waiting to see what he would do next.

Chirin got up, shook himself, and charged with renewed fury, his bell ringing a harmony to his battle cry. But the wolf merely leapt over him, and Chirin went tumbling to the ground when he missed his mark.

Chirin somersaulted and landed on his feet. With an angry growl, he spun around and charged again. This time he would take down the wolf!

But as he leapt at the wolf, the wolf merely knocked him away with his paw.

Chirin had never felt so tired and bruised. But he wouldn't quit now. Clamoring to his feet, he tried again. But he was so tired that he was easily knocked away and landed a few feet away from the wolf. Again he tried, and again the wolf sent him tumbling. This time when he stood up, the world was spinning, and he teetered from side to side, falling and getting up again. "Brace yourself, Chirin!" he heard the wolf scold him. "You will never defeat me like that."

_I will defeat you!_ Chirin thought determinedly. The thought helped him clear his vision, and he saw the wolf standing in front of him. Now! He scrambled for foothold, using the last of his strength, but one strike from the wolf and his legs gave out under him. With a groan, Chirin fell onto his back.

The wolf picked him up by the wooly fleece on his back and carried him. "Knocking over trees is one thing, Chirin," he said, his voice sounding strange with his mouth full of wool, "but remember, I am a moving target."

Chirin knew nothing of what was happening until he felt cold water on his face. The wolf had placed him at the edge of their waterhole. Too tired and hurt to even take a drink, Chirin simply lay half in the water, breathing heavily.

And that was just the first day.

The wolf was right. Chirin's task was not easy. Chirin trained every day to become as strong as the wolf. And training meant fighting. He learned ever tactic, every means possible to win. He learned to do whatever it takes to overcome his opponent, that he had to defeat his adversaries at any cost. Because in the end, that was all that mattered. And when Chirin learned that, he'd taken the first step in becoming a wolf. That was the Law of Wolven Life. That was the Wolven Credo.

Their sessions were long and hard. It always began with Chirin constantly charging the wolf and the wolf maneuvering out of the way. Every now and then, Chirin would hit, but the wolf would come back just as strong with a swipe of his paw or a snap from his jaws. Sometimes he even managed to get up on the wolf's back, but the wolf always threw him off. The wolf would leap at him and snap, but Chirin learned from his charges, and he always escaped the wolf's attacks. All that was heard was the snapping, growling, the clicking of hooves, and the ringing bell.

The place where they practiced was by a sharp peak on the mountain. Chirin leaped up the peak like a mountain goat and then would jump off the top to drop down on the wolf. But the wolf would leap up to meet him, and Chirin would roll harmlessly off his back while the wolf made it to the top of the peak.

A day never passed that Chirin didn't suffer from the pain of his lessons. He was bruised and scarred all over his body. In the end, he would somehow drag himself to the waterhole and shove his head in, trying to revive himself and ignore the pain. Many times he was on the brink of dying.

But he didn't die. And, feeling Death's breath over his shoulder, he learned the ways of life in a harsh way.

In time, he grew horns, small ones that had sharp points. His speed and strength improved far beyond what he thought his little body could manage. He could leap from crag to crag up to the top of the pinnacle boulder during their lessons and leap to the next ledge across a small chasm, all with ease.

Out on the plains, he could now keep track of the wolf. There even came the day that he and the wolf could both catch a fleeing deer herd and run past it, birds flying to the air, fleeing their path. And Chirin led the way, the wolf only following behind.

But this brought Chirin no joy. He never felt joy now. He only felt the hardening of his resolve.

The time came at last when the wolf thought Chirin was ready to face real battle. He sent the horned lamb out and watched as Chirin took on four black panthers, all at once. Though very much battered after the fight, he came out victorious.

His next foe was a great brown bear. Chirin met him with terrible fury and soon sent him running, just as he had seen the wolf do once to another bear.

Whenever he attacked, the first and last sound his adversaries heard was the ringing of his bell as he charged.

Time passed during all of this training. There was more running, more leaping, more fighting. Seasons came and went. And Chirin grew. His legs grew longer and stronger. At first they made him ungainly, and he had trouble growing into them, but the wolf quickly cured his clumsiness. His face began to lengthen as well, until he had a long snout just like any adult sheep . . . or a wolf. And he used this snout more diligently then any sheep, always scenting the wind for danger or prey. His body grew lean and muscular, not soft, lumpy, and fat like the sheep he remembered of his childhood. His eyes, once round and childlike, were now slit and glowed with a fierce yellow light . . . and were very much like the wolf's piercing blue eyes. His once white fleece darkened and grew ragged with all the fighting and running he did. The cord around his neck which held his bell stretched and lengthened with his neck, keeping the bell in its place.

But the most drastic growth was his horns. His horns grew forward and curved down, the sharp points always pointed forward. Curved as they were, they were as long as his whole face and could have been far longer had they been straightened.

In three years, Chirin had changed from a determined lamb into a fearsome beast.

The day came when Chirin's training was finished. Up on the peak of the rocky mountain, the wolf watched as Chirin, now a great, hardy ram, leapt into the air and slammed his head into a falling boulder, shattering it with his horns. He shook his head in triumph and then stood before the wolf. His head was held down, bowed, but not in submission. That was the way he was apt to stand now, with the points of his horns facing forward.

Chirin faced the wolf. The wolf nodded his approval.

"Do you see it, Wolf?" Chirin began. "I am no longer a weakling sheep. Maybe I don't have fangs, but I have horns which are equally sharp and deadly. My hooves are harder than the rock. I have accepted the laws of the wild life, the laws to fight without fearing death, as has become my nature."

"I am proud of you, Chirin," the wolf answered back. "You have become a fine warrior. Even I could not turn you aside, thanks to your sharp horns."

"It is all thanks to you, Wolf," Chirin answered. "Once, I had just one goal in my life: to overcome you and kill you. The only thing I wanted was strength so I could strike down my enemy and avenge the death of my mother. You can't imagine the times I looked for the chance to kill you. But somehow I could never find one. How many times have I dreamt of that chance? But I could never make myself do it."

Chirin turned away from the wolf and looked out over the mountains before them. They could see for miles upon miles from this summit. "I was reborn in these mountains," he said. "Living here has changed the way I think about life and about you. Now you have become like a father to me." He looked back at the wolf, who was staring at him questionably, waiting for Chirin's decision. "I decided to follow you," Chirin told him, "even through Hell. And if the world you live in is a hell, then I'm willing to live there with you."

Chirin turned back to the eastern horizon, where the sun was just starting to top the peaks. "Look out there!" he told the wolf. "The forests, the mountains, the plains – it's there for us, all of it. Everything is ours!"

That is how Chirin and the wolf became such ruthless predators, the likes of which had not been known in these lands for many years. They became a team with a reputation for ruthless killing known throughout the land. They were unstoppable, charging their prey with insane recklessness. And Chirin was like a real demon when he brutally charged his prey with his powerful body. Even as he and the wolf roamed the land and the wolf chose the prey, it was often Chirin who was leading the charge. The ringing of his bell became a sound of terror for every animal within their domain.

* * *

><p>The day came when the wolf brought Chirin to a new place to hunt: the place of his birth.<p>

It was a stormy night in late fall, the rain coming down in sheets and lightning flashing, thunder booming. Chirin and the wolf stared down at the shed in the pasture with cold, hungry eyes, eager for the kill. Even in the darkness of the night and storm, Chirin's eyes had grown sharp enough to see the shed even in the blackness.

"It's the shed where you were born, your home," the wolf told Chirin.

"Home?" Chirin snorted. "It is not my home anymore. The only home is the plains where I hunt my prey."

"Tonight we are going to attack the shed," the wolf warned him. "Will you be able to go through with it?"

Chirin thought the question was ridiculous. He was a killer, cold and unfeeling. "Of course I will."

Another flash of lightning lit the sky with another roll of thunder. The tops of the trees waved wildly in the fury of the storm.

"There are many shepherd dogs protecting the shed," the wolf explained to Chirin. "They'll try to stop us from getting in. Deal with them and head for the shed. Kill all the sheep inside."

Chirin listened carefully, making sure he was able to follow the wolf's wise direction. He was certain there was no emotion in him. He felt nothing for these worthless sheep, who had done nothing to make anything of themselves . . . as he had done.

Another flash of lightning and clash of thunder and Chirin felt the wind shift. The wolf put his nose to the wind, as if he sensed it, too. "The wind is starting to change direction," he said. "Go now!"

Without hesitation, Chirin charged down the slope toward the shed, his head down and horns pointed out in front of him, his bell ringing like a battle cry.


	7. Chapter 6: Lost

Author's Notes: This song is the intro song from the Japanese version.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 6: Lost<span>

_Chirin, the soft ringing of your bell  
>Reminded me of my mother's eyes.<br>Your bell has been ringing,  
>But now it is gone.<em>

_Chirin, the soft ringing of your bell  
>Reminded me of someone's quiet crying,<br>Lonely and desperate,  
>Like the sorrows of the whole world.<em>

_Chirin, where are you now?  
>How far are you?<br>How many winters?  
>How many years have passed since then?<em>

_Chirin, where have you vanished?  
>Where is the silvery ringing of your bell?<br>Nobody has ever  
>Heard it again.<em>

Without hesitation Chirin jumped the fence and landed in the pasture, his eyes on the shed. Slowly he advanced toward it, waiting for the attack.

The wolf sat upon the slope where Chirin had left him and watched, his blue eyes gleaming in the night.

There! Chirin heard the dogs charging, barking their threats. He turned as the first one leapt at him, and with a mighty thrust of his head he pushed his horns into its soft belly and tossed it behind him. The next dog leapt upon his back and bit into his withers, but Chirin bucked him off in time to turn around and kick another dog that was leaping at him, striking him dead.

The sheep gathered at the door and stared as this mighty beast fought dog after dog, and dog upon dog fell. One landed close to the door, making all of them tremble in terror.

The lightning flashed again as another dog leapt upon Chirin, and again he dispatched it and kicked down another one, tossing one across the field and sending another to hang upon the fence. The wolf, who had been creeping quietly toward the pasture so as not to disturb the fight, stood on the other side of the fence and watched with cold eyes as the dog's limp body slithered off the fence and onto the ground.

Still more dogs came. Chirin stabbed one with his horns and kicked another down that had jumped up behind him. One charged him, but Chirin met his charge head down, and his horns punctured the dog's brain. Another leapt at him, but Chirin brought up his head and stabbed the dog in the belly before thrusting him off behind him.

The dog's limp body sailed through the air and ended up in the open shed, landing in the doorway. The sheep gasped in horror and scrambled to the back of the shed, trying to stay as far away from the danger as possible, scrambling one on top of another.

That was the last dog. Chirin turned and stared at the open doorway of the shed, his eyes narrowed, ready to kill.

He stopped just inside the door and stared at the sheep unblinkingly. They were all huddled in the back, trembling like the weakling cowards they were. One of them even gulped.

Chirin was disgusted. These sheep had never done anything with themselves but sit around in the pasture and act helpless and pitiful. They never strove to make themselves strong. And for that, they deserved their fate.

But one lamb hadn't climbed in the back with the others, and his cry alerted Chirin. "Mama!" the lamb cried. "Mama! I'm scared, Mama!"

This, Chirin decided, could be his first victim. He turned toward the little, helpless lamb, his horns pointed out in front of him.

A mother ewe struggled to get back to her son. "Oh, no!" she cried. "My baby!" Before Chirin could move, she leapt at her lamb, crying, "No!"

Chirin stared down at the mother lamb as she covered her baby, sacrificing herself to keep him from harm, trembling in fright. His eyes narrowed as he prepared to make the kill. The trembling ewe lowered her head, making sure her lamb was completely safe, and waited for the inevitable.

But Chirin didn't see this mother and lamb. He saw another mother ewe, one whose voice was soft and her words always loving and kind. She, too, had thrown herself over her lamb to protect him . . . a lamb with a golden bell around his neck.

Chirin shook his head, making his bell ring. "No!" he gasped. She . . . she was like _his_ mother!

Chirin backed away. "I can't," he said. Emotions were flooding him, emotions he had not felt in a long time . . . including horror. His heart was pounding in his ears, and his legs felt weak. He had to get out of there. "I can't!" he cried, turning and fleeing from the shed.

Once outside, he stopped and panted, trying to catch his breath. Memories and emotions were swarming him in torrents. "I can't!" he gasped again. "I can't!" He had to get away! He started to walk off, determined to leave this place and never harm these sheep again.

"Where do you think you're going, Chirin?"

Chirin froze in mid-step and raised his head. The wolf was standing right in front of him, glaring.

Chirin shook his head. "I can't do it," he confessed.

"It looks like you are too weak-hearted to do it," the wolf told him harshly. "I knew you wouldn't be able to do it." He started advancing toward the shed. "This is the last thing I'll teach you. Let me show you how to kill sheep. Killing sheep is something even a weakling can do!"

Chirin watched in horror as the wolf walked past him. He was going to kill the sheep! But . . . but . . .

Heart pounding for fear of his kin, Chirin ran in front of the wolf, blocking his path with his head lowered. "No!" he cried. "Stop!" But the wolf kept coming, forcing Chirin to back up. "No!" Chirin cried again, shaking his head. "You're not going in there!"

But the wolf kept coming.

"No," Chirin repeated quietly, pleading. But the wolf paid him no heed.

Then Chirin felt his rear hit the shed. The wolf had backed him against it. Any moment now, he would walk by and enter the shed to kill the sheep . . . the sheep whom Chirin had once lived and played with.

Something in Chirin broke, something he had not felt for a long time. Desperate to save the others from the wolf, he shook his head savagely, making his bell ring like a desperate cry. "No!" he cried again. "Stop! You can't go!"

The next thing he knew, he charged. "Wolf!" he cried, half demandingly, half pleadingly, as he slammed himself into the wolf. With his horns, he lifted the wolf into the air and sent him flying a few yards back, careful not to stab him as he did.

The wolf flipped and landed on his feet in a catlike manner, completely unharmed. Looking irritated, he turned and faced Chirin. "Have you gone mad, pipsqueak?" he yelled angrily.

Gone mad? _Gone mad?_ The wolf was trying to kill the sheep, _his_ sheep, his kin, his family!

Chirin charged the wolf again, and the wolf leapt skillfully out of the way. Chirin ended up hitting the fence, breaking both rails. But no sooner had he done that when he spun around, rage burning in him. Memory upon memory and emotion upon emotion were building in him. He remembered now! The sheep were his family, the wolf his enemy, not the other way around!

"I was one of them!" he cried as he charged again. "I am a ram!"

The wolf leapt out of the way again, and Chirin ran into the shed. His horns, sweeping and looking for something to stab, struck the ground just inside the doorway, where they remained stuck. Chirin pulled with all his might until he wrenched his horns free, feeling no pain. All he felt was a fury and rage as he remembered his mother in this very shed. He spun around and charged again, shaking his head in fury, his horns flashing in the light of the lightning. "You're the wolf who killed my mother!" he cried. "This is for her!"

The next thing, Chirin knew, he felt his head pressed against the soft fur of the wolf's chest. The wolf was pushed up over Chirin so that his paws rested on the ram's withers.

The tips of Chirin's horns were stuck deep into the wolf's belly.

Slowly the rage seeped out of Chirin as he realized what he had done, listening to the wolf's labored breathing.

The wolf's head fell upon Chirin's withers. "Well done, Chirin," he said, his voice sounding strained with pain. "You have learned well. Each wolf's life is destined to end like this." He gasped but kept talking. "I knew my time would come, and I would die fighting someone stronger." He cringed, and Chirin could feel the last of his strength leaving him. "But I'm glad," he gasped, "that the one who killed me was you, Chirin. I'm very . . . proud of you . . ."

At last it was too much. The wolf's strength gave out. He slid off Chirin's shoulders and horns and fell at his feet, dead.

Chirin stared down at the wolf as the rain began to wash the blood away. Raindrops mingled with the tears that ran down his snout. "No," he gasped. "No, I did not want it this way, Wolf."

Though this had been his goal for his whole life, he felt the strongest feeling of regret. The wolf had done everything for him, had been his father. What kind of son killed his own father?

But . . . but wasn't it a good thing for his kind? The wolf would no longer bother the sheep. Chirin raised his head and stared at the shed, wondering how he could begin to explain himself.

The sheep stared out at him with wide eyes. One of them gulped.

The little lamb who had been saved by his mother stepped out of the shed. He did not seem afraid, only fascinated with this strange creature who had been their savior. "Who are you?" he asked, walking up to Chirin. "Are you a wolf?"

Chirin didn't know how to answer that. Was he was a wolf? He didn't know anymore.

But before he could think up a response, the lamb's mother grabbed him by the scruff and carried him hurriedly back to the shed.

Chirin took a step forward. Were the sheep . . . running away from him? "But wait!" he cried.

The sheep backed away from the doorway of the shed and slammed the door shut.

Chirin gasped. Even with the storm raging outside, they weren't going to let him in!

He lowered his head in shame as he saw the scared looks on their faces through the cracks in the wooden door. Of course they wouldn't let him in. All they had seen of him was the way he killed.

Chirin tried to tell the frightened sheep that he had once lived with them in the meadow. Like so many years ago, Chirin was still wearing the same golden bell around his neck. But nobody believed he was the same Chirin with whom they had played with in the meadow. The creature they saw before them was not one of their kind. It was neither a wolf nor a ram standing in front of the shed but some unknown terrible creature which caused only fear and terror.

The rain had stopped by the time Chirin gave up. The sheep were not going to let him in, not give him a chance to tell his story. They just wanted him to leave.

So Chirin did leave. He turned and walked out the hole in the fence his own horns had made. He wouldn't find a home again with the sheep of his childhood.

And without the wolf, Chirin realized he had no home at all.

Not knowing what else to do, Chirin headed back toward the mountain where he and the wolf had lived together.

* * *

><p>Chirin had kept going until he had at last reached the small waterhole he and the wolf had shared for years now. He felt sad and confused and stared at the water, trying to think and clear his mind all at once. The sorrow in his heart was sharp and more tangible than it had ever been before. Chirin felt as if he could taste it in his mouth.<p>

Chirin stared down at the water, gazing at his reflection. Was he a wolf, as the lamb had asked? Or was a he a sheep, a ram? He didn't know anymore. The creature he saw in the waters was neither one nor the other. It was simply a powerful beast, one who could kill with a mere flick of its head. He had become a killer, the very beast he had wished to destroy.

So many years ago, this had been all he wanted. This had been his goal. He could remember so clearly the warning the wolf had given him that day three years ago: _It won't be easy, pipsqueak. Do you understand, Chirin? The world I live in is a hell where death follows you in your footsteps. You'll need stamina, determination, and the will to survive. Are you ready for such a life?_

He recalled his training sessions with the wolf, where he would come to this very pool of water to revive himself and wash his wounds. The training was everything the wolf warned him it would be, and at times he thought he would die. But he had striven through it all, because this is want he wished for. He remembered he had said so with his own mouth: _I don't care how much it takes. It doesn't matter anymore whether I have to live in Hell. My life means nothing to me now. This is what I want to do. I know I can! You'll see! I'll become stronger than a wolf! Wolf, someday I will become even stronger than you and defeat you! Then I will have my revenge on you! Someday, I kill you!_

_I will! Someday, I will kill you!_

And so it came to pass, just as he had hoped, just as he had wished so long ago.

But now Chirin realized he didn't want that anymore.

The wolf had given him guidance and purpose. He had directed him throughout most of his life. And now . . .

A drop of water fell into the pool, making ripples in the water. When they had cleared, Chirin gasped, shaking his head in surprise and making his bell ring. "Wolf!" he gasped. _The wolf's reflection was sitting next to his!_

Chirin turned at once, a smile upon his face. "Wolf?" he said hopefully.

But there was no one there.

Chirin felt his smile fade, taking a step away from the pool and looking around vainly. "Wolf?" He had to be there . . .

But no. Chirin had only been seeing what he wanted to see.

That spark of hope died with another wave of grief. "Wolf!" he cried in despair, his voice ringing throughout the mountains.

He admitted then what he knew all along: the wolf would never come back.

Snow began to fall as the bell let out one last mournful ding as Chirin let his head drop. "Wolf," he said quietly, "you accepted me. For me, you were a paragon of what it means to be a wolf and how to be strong. You taught me how to live like you did. Forgive me, Wolf. I wasn't able to become a wolf, and because of that, I was the one who caused your death." He started to tremble. "But I'm still alive! And now, when you're dead, what should I do? Where do I go now?"

Another wave of sorrow, guilt, and loss swept over him, and Chirin raised his head and yelled again. "Wolf!"

Nothing answered but his own echo.

"Wolf!"

But the wolf would never lead him again. Chirin was alone . . . utterly alone. Without direction, without purpose, without a home or family. Lost.


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

_The snow fell endlessly for days without letting up, covering everything under its thick, white blanket, including the traces of this old story. Whatever happened on that mountain, whatever happened in the meadow, was covered up without a trace to remind those who had witnessed it._

_And later, some claim to have remembered Chirin as a lamb. Others said he was a spirit from the mountain. But they were too wrapped up with their own lives to worry about it for long._

_Regardless, though peace settled over the land without the shadows of Chirin's and the wolf's hunting, the sheep of the meadow still warned their lambs not to leave the safety of the fence for fear of some terrible unknown creature who lived in the mountains beyond._

_Sometimes during the strongest night blizzards, one can hear through the howling wind a sound like the gentle, barely audible ringing of a bell. But nobody has ever seen Chirin again._


End file.
